This is one of the liturgy pages for the Methodist Church's Hush the Noise Advent and Christmas campaign 2024. A full list of the services can be found here. A PDF containing all the services can be downloaded here.
Advent 4: The Love Song
22 December 2024
Bible readings
Micah 5:2-5a
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah,
who are one of the little clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to rule in Israel,
whose origin is from of old,
from ancient days.
Therefore he shall give them up until the time
when she who is in labour has brought forth;
then the rest of his kindred shall return
to the people of Israel.
And he shall stand and feed his flock in the strength of the Lord,
in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God.
And they shall live secure, for now he shall be great
to the ends of the earth,
and he shall be the one of peace.
If the Assyrians come into our land
and tread upon our soil,
we will raise against them seven shepherds
and eight rulers.
Luke 1:39-55
In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.”
And Mary said,
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favour on the lowly state of his servant.
Surely from now on all generations will call me blessed,
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name;
indeed, his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
He has come to the aid of his child Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Songs and hymns
Heaven shall not wait (StF 701)
I will speak out for those who have no voices (StF 702)
Jesus Christ is waiting (StF 251)
Longing for light, we wait in darkness (StF 706)
Love inspired the anger (StF 253)
My soul rejoices in God my Saviour (StF 60)
Show me how to stand for justice (StF 713)
Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord! (StF 186)
We do not look for angel choirs (website only)
Also see: Resource Hub Worship Calendar suggestions for 22 December 2024
Opening liturgy
Preparations almost complete, the time is nearly here.
Promises and praises echo all around,
Silencing the noises of injustice.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
The promise of God for the servant lowly,
God who comes to the help of all,
Whose ancient promise still stands today.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
And we watch and we seek,
And we learn, we pray and we praise,
And we wait and we wait.
O hush the noise,
Let’s hear the angels sing.
Background notes
On the final Sunday of Advent we focus on Mary and her song, the Magnificat. The theme of the President and Vice-President of Conference this year is Praise and Protest, both of which aspects are clear in Mary’s song.
The symbol this week is a protest banner, to represent the imperative to challenge injustice that is present in the song.
...he shall be the one of peace.
Micah wrote in the style of Hosea and Amos, echoing their passionate calls for justice. This passage has traditionally been used in Advent as it refers to a child coming from Bethlehem, who will bring peace to the ends of the earth.(1)
And Mary said...
Mary’s song, the Magnificat, is one of four similar songs in Luke: the Benedictus (Luke 1:67-69), the Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:28-32) and the Angel’s song (Luke 2.13-14),(2) which we will be the focus on Christmas Day. It draws on Hannah’s song, from 1 Samuel 2, which we will mention next Sunday.
The song has a similar structure to many of the Psalms, with a word of praise followed by reasons for the praise.(3)
“My soul magnifies the Lord...
The song begins with praise and giving thanks for God’s greatness and majesty. This is reminiscent of Psalm 69:31.(4)
He has brought down the powerful from their thrones
and lifted up the lowly;
he has filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
These verses are structured in a parallel chiasm, where the first ideas are later mirrored in reverse order: the bad things that are coming to the rich and powerful are given to the lowly and poor, who feature in the most prominent place in the centre of this arrangement.(5)
It might sound like a call to a revolution, but in the song the agency and initiative primarily lies with God. However, we may partner with God.(6)
Methodist Way of Life: Worship (and Challenge)
Questions for discussion
- What old or modern songs in your Spotify queue or music collection might be versions of Mary’s song?
- Mary’s love song isn’t cutesy – it’s fierce and radical, and is about change and transformation. How does your experience of love (divine love or otherwise) change things for you or the world?
- Singing is a verbal/aural experience, but it also can be written words or signed. How can we ‘sing’ with all our bodies?
Hands-on activities
- Make ‘praise and protest’ banners: using large pieces of cardboard attached to bamboo canes, write, draw, paint or illustrate each side to make a statement about praise and protest. For example, for praise: ‘Praise God for all the amazing creatures in the ocean’. On the other side, for protest: ‘Keep plastic out of the oceans’. Talk about how we could be an agent of change and make a difference to whichever issue is the focus of your protest.
- Working in pairs, create actions that reflect praise and protest. One person demonstrates praise using physical movement and gestures whilst the other conveys an act of protest. After a few practices, each pair can share with the rest of the group their actions. Can we guess which is praise or protest? What do these actions say about how we view or think about praise and protest? For example, our protest actions may appear violent or angry.
Prayer ideas
Hang small pieces of non-recyclable material on the tree in protest against damage to the environment. Encourage writing of letters to the local council to request more recycling. Pray that those letters will lead to action.
Make small paper doves and hang them on the tree – as they are made, invite the group to consider where in the world most needs the coming of the One of peace this Christmas – this may be individuals known to us as well as nations at war.
Use a globe or map of the world and highlight places where there is conflict.
Use blue tack to attach ribbons or banners to the globe or place electric tea lights or stones onto the map. If people are seated around tables, consider giving each table a country to think about. Share some facts or invite the people at the table to share what they know. Invite them to pray for that nation and particularly for peace.
The good news to get across
In her song of praise Mary thanks God for the child Jesus, who will announce God’s kingdom which “brings down the powerful from their thrones and lifts up the lowly.” To engage in God’s mission and be part of that transformation, we believe the Methodist Church is called to become an increasingly evangelistic, inclusive and justice-seeking Church.
Ways people can respond
Take a couple of minutes now to hush the noise. Consider the ways in which you are powerful and need to step back. In what ways are you ‘lowly’, where God is inviting you to step into your power?
Prayer of blessing
The angels are still singing.
Prophets are still speaking.
Hush the noise, hear them sing, repeat the song, seek justice.
And the blessing of God,
the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,
be yours/ours, now and always. Amen.
References
(1) Craig A. Evans, Matthew (2012) Cambridge, New York, pp. 54-55.
(2) Joseph A. Fitzmeyer, The Gospel According to Luke (1981) Doubleday, New York, p. 358.
(3) Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke (1997) Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, p. 99
(4) Fitzmeyer, p. 366.
(5) Green, p. 99.
(6) ibid., p. 99.